Go find the production teams in these villages.
The voice was deep and hoarse.
Wang Jie looked at the villages on the map and glanced hesitantly at Qin Du. Brother Qin, will they even pay attention to us?
Besides, they were government entities, while their own group was involved with the underworld. If they got caught, it wouldn't be a joke.
Qin Du cast a glance at him, his tone flat and cold. Even though they are under government control, if they can't sell their backlogged goods, it's still useless.
Wang Jie realized suddenly, I understand, Brother Qin. Most of the goods in the villages are in the hands of the production teams. If we collect directly from them from now on, it will be much faster than collecting from those hunters.
But he was still a bit afraid and pulled a few guys next to him. Brother Qin, how about I take them with me?
Yeah.
Wang Jie was thrilled. Why hadn't he thought of this trick in the first place?
The few men came out of the room, discussing in low voices.
But isn't this illegal? Will the production teams be willing to give the goods to us?
Wang Jie looked at them and shook his head. You blockheads, don't the production teams need to eat? They can't sell their stuff, and they're so poor they can't even put food on the table. Why would they care about that?
The others nodded, half-understanding.
To be honest, I'm really a bit scared of Brother Qin. I feel like when he looks at people, he's like a snake, giving off a dark, chilling vibe.
Who isn't scared? Didn't you see me standing so far away?
Wang Jie, why aren't you afraid? I see you running around in front of Brother Qin all day.
Wang Jie's mouth twitched. I was just pretending. But following Brother Qin is still better than following the previous boss, right? At least Brother Qin hasn't cut off our hands or ears.
They arrived at the production team at night.
The team captain listened to their words, smoking non-stop, his brows furrowed tightly.
If these hooligans had dared to come to them before, they would have beaten them out long ago.
But...
Captain, can we not hesitate anymore? How many days have we been starving? Even if you don't think about yourself, at least think about us, a man spoke up angrily.
That's right, Captain. We aren't you; we need to survive too.
When they couldn't even afford to eat, who cared if it was government property.
The captain was silent for a long time. If you can really get rid of our backlog of dozens of pigskins and those herbs, then I'll agree to it.
Heavy snow had sealed off the mountains, and the production team's pigskins couldn't be transported out. If they dragged this on any longer, these things would rot in the warehouse.
Wang Jie laughed, You can rest assured about that. Our Brother Qin has plenty of connections. If you know other production teams, you can also tell us. We're all brothers.
The captain hesitated for a moment, then gave Wang Jie the locations of a few other production teams.
This heavy snow was a disaster for the villagers; nothing could go in, and nothing could come out.
But for Qin Du, this gave him a huge loophole to exploit.
Wang Jie worked with more and more enthusiasm, mainly because Qin Du was generous with money. When Wang Jie received his pay, he almost knelt down and called him godfather.
In just half a month, Qin Du almost controlled the sales for the vast majority of the production teams in the county.
He no longer collected goods from individual hunters. The hunters had no channels to find buyers, and the black market was constantly harassed, so they were forced to hand their goods over to the production teams.
Wang Jie witnessed the whole process, and he gained a new understanding of Qin Du.
His Brother Qin really had no humanity at all...
Qin Du rented a private courtyard in the county, mainly because it was close to the hospital. He also hired two female workers, claiming to the outside world that they were Mother Qin's relatives, but in reality, they were caretakers.
Since arriving in the county, Mother Qin had never spoken a word to Qin Du again. Every day, aside from taking medicine, she just chanted Buddhist prayers.
Brother Qin, you're back. The female worker paused for a moment when she saw Qin Du at the door of the room.
Qin Du responded, Is my mother asleep?
The female worker was holding a basin, the water inside still steaming. She looked inside hesitantly. I just finished washing the old lady's feet, so she shouldn't be asleep yet.
Qin Du walked in. He looked at Mother Qin, whose back was turned to him, and paused.
Mother.
The room was extremely quiet. The moonlight from outside shone in through the window, and Qin Du remained silent for a while.
Are you feeling any better?
Mother Qin's voice suddenly became agitated. Do you still care about me as your mother? Look at what you've become now. As soon as you get close, I can smell the stench of blood.
In the past, it was the blood of prey, but now it was human blood.
How did he turn into what he is now?
The female worker quickly sat beside Mother Qin, rubbing her back. Old lady, please don't get worked up.
Mother Qin looked at him with bitter disappointment. To what extent will you go before you're satisfied? What do you need so much money for? If Xixi saw you like this now, do you think she would dare to come near you?!
Qin Du didn't say a word, his hands clenched tightly.
He lowered his eyes. I'll go out first. Get some good rest.
The female worker carefully handed warm water to Mother Qin, soothing her emotions.
She had been in this courtyard for quite some time now, and every time the old lady saw her son, it was like she was looking at an enemy.
The wind outside was blowing hard, rattling the windows loudly. Someone's family was setting off firecrackers, the noise giving him a headache.
Qin Du lay on the bed, his vision very blurry, always hazily veiled by a layer of white mist. His head ached terribly, and he couldn't help but close his eyes again.
Hadn't he left Xinniu Village? How did he suddenly come back...
A soft bundle suddenly burrowed into his arms, and he subconsciously held it tight.
Brother Qin Du, why are you still in bed? I'm already up!
Qin Du opened his eyes, somewhat bewildered.
Xixi?
She was lying on top of him, looking at him with a beaming smile.
Qin Du's face instantly flushed red all the way to the base of his neck. He softened his voice. Xixi, get off first. I'll get up right now.
She didn't speak, but slowly leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Qin Du froze completely.
He couldn't do this. Qin Du gritted his teeth and tried to push her away, but when his hand touched her shoulder, he only felt a rush of warmth. Startled, Qin Du immediately pulled his hand back.
Looking at his reaction, she couldn't help but giggle.
Qin Du turned his head away in fluster. Xixi, get off first.
She huffed.
Cupping his face, she kissed his eyes directly, then his nose, then his lips, trailing continuously downwards until she finally bit his Adam's apple.
Qin Du's body went rigid, his breathing growing heavier, but his arms involuntarily held her even tighter.
No!
He couldn't take advantage of her!
Qin Du suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. He gasped for air, his heart pounding so fast it felt like it would leap out of his chest, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
The room was dead silent. There was no sound of firecrackers, no sound of the wind, nothing at all.
Smack—
This slap was delivered with his full strength. His head buzzed, half of his face swelled up instantly, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Qin Du panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot. The mere thought of the dream he just had made him want to kill himself.
With a backhand, he delivered another, even heavier slap to his face.
Animal...
The moonlight outside filtered through the frosted window glass, spilling diagonally into the room.
Qin Du sat bare-chested, his face buried deep in his hands. He was hunched over, revealing a back covered in a crisscrossing web of scars. With faint traces of blood lingering on his face, his entire being exuded a profound, lifeless aura of defeat.
